Water can act as a giant, reusable battery. Pump it uphill when power is cheap, release it downhill when the grid needs it — that’s the whole idea behind pumped-storage hydropower.
mcqquestion.com
Pumped Storage: Water as a Giant Battery
India’s approach to long-duration energy storage
7,175 MWOperational PSP capacity (Dec 2025)
11,620 MWUnder construction
280+ GWAssessed national potential
10 GWTarget across 15 sites, 2026-28
How it works: water is pumped uphill to a reservoir when power is cheap and plentiful, then released downhill through turbines to generate electricity when demand peaks — essentially a giant, reusable battery.
🏛️ Must Know
How Pumped-Storage Hydropower Works
- The Mechanism A pumped-storage plant uses two reservoirs at different elevations. Water is pumped uphill when electricity is cheap and plentiful, then released downhill through turbines to generate power when demand peaks.
- Right Context The term “pumped-storage hydropower” is appropriately discussed today in the context of long duration energy storage, not irrigation or rainwater harvesting.
- Grid Role This makes it a genuine long-duration energy storage technology. It stores excess power for hours at a time, and releases it when the grid needs it.
🏘️ Good to Know
India’s Pumped-Storage Push
- Solves Intermittency Pumped-storage hydropower helps smooth out the intermittent, variable nature of solar and wind power, a growing challenge as India adds more renewable capacity.
- Current Capacity As of 31 December 2025, India had about 7,175.6 MW of pumped-storage capacity operational, across 10 projects. Another 11,620 MW was under construction across 10 more projects.
- Huge Potential India’s assessed pumped-storage potential crossed 280 GW as of early 2026, a sharp expansion in recent years.
- 2026-28 Targets Planned actions for 2026-28 include fast-tracking 10 GW across 15 pre-cleared sites, and piloting a seawater pumped-storage project in Gujarat. A dedicated PSP Cell is also being set up within the Central Electricity Authority (CEA).
Test Yourself
.jpg){kind=link}
Previous Year Questions
- On the context in which pumped-storage hydropower is discussed, asked as: “Recently, the term pumped-storage hydropower is actually and appropriately discussed in the context of which one of the following?” (UPSC CSP 2024, GS Paper I).
Beyond the answer
Browse all science-and-technology topics →
📚 Keep reading
UPSC CSP 2024 — General Studies Paper I (Full Question Paper)IntlRel0072 — India-Bhutan Relations: Power Sector CooperationIndEco0210 — Renewable Energy in IndiaIndEco0026 — Storage and Marketing of Agricultural ProduceIndEco0025 — Irrigation Systems in India❓ Practice this topic
What does India's National Viral Hepatitis Control Programme aim to achieve by 2030?According to WHO, how does viral hepatitis's global death toll compare to HIV/AIDS?What can now cure most Hepatitis C infections, even without a vaccine?Since when has a Hepatitis B vaccine existed?🎲 Take a Science And Technology Quiz
Leave a Reply